Although the height of the women’s college 7s season has come and gone, the CRC 7s cannot be overlooked. It’s a high-profile event for the men, and the 12-team women’s division will share in a fraction of that exposure. Pool play will be contested tomorrow, the Cup semifinals Saturday, and the final Sunday. For the eight teams that do not qualify for the Cup bracket, they will be funneled into the Challenge Cup and contest their quarterfinal and semifinal matches Saturday, and finals Sunday. The Cup knockouts (and two additional Challenge quarterfinal matches) will be contested inside PPL Park (Chester, Pa.).

NOTE: An updated schedule is below. Saturday's Cup semifinals will be broadcast on Comcast Sports; we're waiting on confirmation of the final. No other live-streaming information has been circulated.

POOL A
The favorite for the pool and tournament is Penn State, which won the Women’s College 7s Championship last Sunday in Denver (read more). Michigan and Notre Dame are well familiar with the Nittany Lions, having seen each other during the Big Ten national 7s qualifier – not to mention the 15s regular season. The Wolverines have been refining their game against stronger teams like Davenport and Notre Dame College, while the Irish, who went 2-2 at the Big Ten 7s, are working hard to close that experience gap. Rounding out the pool is James Madison, which also competed at nationals last weekend and finished as Shield runner-up.

“We had a quick turn-around from the 15s championship to the 7s championship,” said Penn State’s Katie Mueller, who won the DI 15s MVP on May 9 and then a 7s title on May 24. “Without a lot of recovery time, it was awesome to see the team put in the hard work to practice, go to the Subaru's tournament, and then travel to Denver for another championship. To potentially win a third championship in such a short amount of time would encompass our fall and spring seasons. With an unexpectedly busy fall and very few games this spring, the championships were a great way to end the season. The team relied on each other to push through the games as they got harder and harder. It was truly a team effort to win both championships and I can't wait to play again this weekend.”

Prediction: Penn State will win this pool, and with the team’s ability to score a lot of points, it will difficult for the runner-up to post a competitive point differential for the fourth slot to Cup semifinals.

POOL B
Arizona is the big question mark in this pool, as the Wildcat women are new to the 7s scene. They haven’t played much, but they’ve been training with Emil Signes, the San Diego Surfers, and most recently NOVA. Eagle 7s pool player Amy Naber spends a lot of time at the OTC, and captain Ria Joseph is dangerous around the field.

But we think it’s going to come down to Life and Notre Dame College. The Running Eagles surprised everyone in the spring 15s playoffs, and their athletes and game style seem well suited to 7s. Life is blessed with an abundance of resources that are shared throughout all of its programs, and the women’s team is particularly lucky to work alongside a men’s team with a successful history at the CRCs. Nicole Strasko, Kaitlyn Broughton, Deshel Ferguson – these are just a few players to note.

Notre Dame College is coming off of a DII 15s national championship, but since then, the team has dispersed to pursue various summer 7s programs. The majority of the squad started 7s training together on Tuesday, and that lack of time together could be disruptive in the team’s opening game against Life. But professionals like Hannah Gauthreaux and Leah Walsh will be calming factors. Read more.

Kutztown is the team that will likely have the biggest support group in the stands. Kutztown has banked some good 7s experience through previous CRCs, a new MARC 7s championship (finished 2^nd behind Bloomsburg), and DII ACRA 7s championship.

Prediction: Life wins the pool; Notre Dame College finishes second and is a top contender for the fourth Cup semifinal slot.

POOL C
American International College and Lindenwood have pushed themselves this spring 7s season, and they’re our choice for top finishers in this pool. AIC has been playing since the Atlanta 7s Festival and ended with a third-place finish at the DI ACRA 7s championship. The Yellow Jackets revolve around a group of forwards – led by Jess Davis – who have embraced 7s, while Shamira Robles is the finisher to mark. Dimitri Efthimiou, a Northeastern alum, is a CRC veteran and returns to Chester, Pa., as coach.

The Lady Lions field a more traditional 7s team, and we think that’ll help them atop the pool. Lindenwood competed in last weekend’s college 7s nationals, tying Cal for 7^th place. If the Missouri team gets through pool play, then it won't be the body fatigue that challenges Lindenwood, the way it does at the two-day, 16-team national championship. Teams that advance to the knockouts begin with the Cup semifinals, and that one game is played on Saturday, and same with Sunday for the final. For teams that need more time to ramp up their performance, this unconventional schedule can be a challenge. Lindenwood will lean on the punchy performances of Joyce Taufa and Amanda Divich to keep the team in high gear.

Boston University played some good Northeast competition in preparation for its third consecutive showing at the CRCs, and won the Polar Bear 7s with wins over good DII sides Bowdoin and Stonehill. Paige Stathopoulos, Alyssa Liem, Noel Coleman, and Emma Perez all have scoring power, but the team’s short 7s season will come into play.

Delaware is the only DII side in this pool, and one of two in the entire competition. The team warmed up with two MARC 7s tournaments in April, finishing third in the series behind Bloomsburg and Kutztown. The Fighting Blue Hens have their work ready and waiting for them.

Prediction: Lindenwood wins pool if it can keep the ball out of contact against AIC; Yellow Jackets finish second with good shot at fourth Cup semifinal slot.

SCHEDULE
Friday, May 29
12 p.m. James Madison v Michigan
12:17 p.m. Notre Dame Irish v Penn State
12:34 p.m. Arizona v Kutztown
12:51 p.m. Life v Notre Dame College
1:08 p.m. AIC v Boston
1:25 p.m. Delaware v Lindenwood
1:42 p.m. James Madison v Notre Dame Irish
1:59 p.m. Michigan v Penn State
2:16 p.m. Arizona v Life
2:33 p.m. Kutztown v Notre Dame College
2:50 p.m. Boston v Lindenwood
3:07 p.m. AIC v Delaware
3:24 p.m. James Madison v Penn State
3:41 p.m. Michigan v Notre Dame Irish
3:58 p.m. Arizona v Notre Dame College
4:15 p.m. Kutztown v Life
4:32 p.m. Boston v Delaware
4:49 p.m. AIC v Lindenwood

Saturday, May 30
teams re-seeded after pool play
10:20 a.m. Challenge QF: A1 v B4
10:40 a.m. Challenge QF: A4 v B1
12:20 p.m. Challenge QF: A2 v B3
12:40 p.m. Challenge QF: A3 v B2
1:20 p.m. Challenge Consolation SF
4:00 p.m. Challenge SF
4:20 p.m. Challenge SF
4:40 p.m. Challenge Consolation SF
6:35 p.m. Cup SF: 1 v 4
7:15 p.m. Cup SF: 2 v 3

Sunday, May 31
9:00 a.m. Challenge 11th Place
9:20 a.m. Challenge 9th Place
9:40 a.m. Challenge 7th Place
10:00 a.m. Challenge 5th Place
1:00 p.m. Cup 3rd Place
3:50 p.m. Cup Final